Respecting our rights as disabled is not negotiable AKA Heshima yapaswa kudumu

The last Kenya census was held in 2009 and it showed that there are about 1.3 million persons with disabilities in Kenya. We face barriers towards access of services due to the impairments on a day to day basis. we face adversity every day of our lives due to stigmatization, isolation and neglect by the very society that is supposed to look out after us. In this day and age of knowledge and enlightenment we still have stories of children with disabilities locked up and hidden away from view by their parents and guardians. Having a disability has been associated with bad omens and curses which further add on to the stigma. It is unfortunate that not only do we have to deal with our own feelings of inadequacy, we also have to contend with an unforgiving society for things that are beyond our control. This is a gross violation of our human rights and further keeps us away from essential amenities such as education, participation in community. Giving people in all parts of the world the support they need to lift themselves out of poverty in all its manifestations is the very essence of sustainable development goals. It is the first of the SDG goals: End poverty in all its form everywhere. Access to education is a fundamental right that will help alleviate poverty yet a lot of my fellow brothers and sisters with disabilities do not have access to quality education. And the ones that do face more challenges due to inadequate facilities like the assistive devices e.g screen readers, braille displays and other technologies. Another ezample is the Mobility devices that should aid and ease our movement such as wheelchairs and whitecanes. Majority of building in the country lack ramps that ease access for people using mobility devices. The number of institutions and teachers available to take care of children with disabilities is dismal. In the last few years, we persons with disabilities have come a long way. The number of schools that cater to our specific needs have gone up due to government enhancement of supporting special schools. although this is a step in the right direction the government needs to reendergize and work towards inclusive education. many Kenyan employers and managers are open to employing persons with disability but lack the confidence and knowledge about how to go about it. this is a clear manifestation of the experience I had undergone after clearing university you can check the story on www.mugambipaul.com after almost a decade and half the advocacy has greatly paid off. A respectable number of Kenyan companies have started adopting policies to encourage inclusion and diversity. the practise is what we can now start to advocate instead of the theoretical frameworks which have been done. I know most of the time the focus has been on other diverse groups. “They are concerned about costs, knowing what to do, where to start and the resources required, or may already have resources dedicated to another diversity focus such as gender balance, Kenyan companies need to rethink there position on disabled workers. For many persons with disabilities like me to make a choice, on for example where to shop, where to eat, where to hold a meeting, which vehicle to use, which airline to use, which product to buy and numerous other transactional scenarios, it boils down to pertinent issues of how such businesses or companies respect and support the rights of persons with disabilities. It comes down to a lack of understanding. Many employers are, in theory, open to employing disabled people – but just don’t know where to start, or are afraid of getting it ‘wrong’. Additionally, there are certain myths that persist around disability in the workplace: disabled people eat into a manager’s time, accomidating them is expensive or disabled people present a health and safety risk. None of these are true. Evidence from Employers Disability NI, for example, shows that disabled people, in fact, take fewer sick days and have fewer accidents in the workplace. A disability does not necessarily mean that a person will need constant attention, or an employer will need to make monumental changes to facilitate them. People with long-term or limiting conditions often have a knack of bedding into a new job quickly and finding their own solutions to challenges thanks to wealth of experience in problem solving coupled with an innate drive to succeed. In fact, according to data from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), HR leaders find that disabled employees outperform all other groups in terms of innovation and professional ambition. Research suggests that building a workforce which is representative of a company’s customer base has a positive impact on brand perception and profitability – and a recent survey by the Academic Network of European Disability experts (ANED) found that the general public would like to see a greater presence of disabled individuals in the ‘work place and day-to-day life’. Successful businesses, organisations and companies have to realise that to reap maximum benefits from their services; they have to take into consideration the various needs of persons with disabilities either as employees, suppliers or customers. The Guide for Business on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities by UN Global Compact and International Labour Organization notes that many companies have policies, practices and initiatives in place that seek to respect and support the rights and inclusion of persons with disabilities as employees, customers and suppliers. Some of the measures are required by law, but many go beyond legal requirements recognising the human rights and business case for inclusion. “But, being more confident about employing people with disability can bring many benefits to business. Among other things a diverse workforce that reflects the make-up of the general population can lead to new ideas, a stronger and more inclusive workplace culture, and a better understanding of the diverse needs of customers and suppliers,” he said. Leading organisations have proven that when they are confident and equipped and there is alignment between the skills of jobseekers to suitable jobs, outstanding success can be achieved. Having accurate information on disability in your workforce is important so you can: list of 3 items • Organise any workplace adjustments employees need to stay healthy, supported and productive • Avoid complaints about possible breaches of discrimination law • Measure your diversity progress over time - increasing the number of employees with disability increases your chances of attracting the widest talent pool list end In its 2017 annual report, the communications company Safaricom noted that approximately 1.4 per cent of its workforce are persons with disabilities and that they were working towards closing the year at 2 per cent. Safaricom has embarked on a programme to bring on board 20 visually impaired people as they work towards achieving a target of 5 per cent by 2020. The company has also trained more than 350 people in sign language across the country. This is just but one company that is widely known to respect and support rights of persons with disabilities. How many more Kenyan companies are willing to embrace this route? The guide for business on the rights of persons with disabilities further indicates that companies that have embarked on the journey of including persons with disabilities have benefitted from being perceived as corporate leaders and also better reflect the demographics of the communities where they operate. Another competitive advantage that companies can gain by including people with disabilities is increased engagement and retention of their entire workforce. It is critical to note that Kenya is party to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) which forms part of the laws of Kenya. The CRPD is strongly based on a non-discrimination approach which therefore means that all businesses, companies, and organizations adopt a no-discrimination approach in their interactions with employees, clients and suppliers who include persons with disabilities. A key impact of the adoption of the CRPD is the expectation from persons with disabilities that their rights be respected as citizens, employees, suppliers, customers and generally, as members of society. With this increasing awareness, businesses have to adapt their policies and practices to ensure they are not only meeting these basic expectations but also advancing the rights of persons with disabilities. Companies provide a key contribution to the achievement of the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and it is crucial that in their policies and plans they have clear roadmaps on how they are including persons with disabilities. In July 2017, the Kenya Institute of Management launched the 2017 Diversity and Inclusion report which scrutinized the level of diversity in boards and senior management of listed companies across a number of parameters which included gender, age and profession. The parameters used however did not include disability which was a big miss. It would be crucial to know the percentage of persons with disabilities in boards and senior management of various companies. This is because until diversity and inclusion policies are endorsed at the senior most levels of companies, a lot may not change in as far as inclusion of persons with disabilities is concerned. As a point of concern, companies have to be wary of approaching persons with disabilities from a charity perspective. In this sense, many businesses or companies may dedicate funds to corporate social responsibility where they engage in ‘helping the needy’. In as much as this is welcome, it may foster stereotypes that persons with disabilities are charity cases who need help. Rather, companies and businesses have to be at the forefront of fostering the respect for human rights for persons with disabilities. Its also important to mention that most of these companies perpetuate ableism where by persons with out disabilities are made to take lead in driving the disability agenda instead of having persons with disabilities to take lead in advertisements and campaigns. Mobilization of persons with disability oriented activities need to offer comformity of nothing about us with us.. So how do we ensure that PWDs are integrated in all aspects of life including socially, politically, economically and culturally? Despite this, common misconceptions around disability mean that millions of people are unable to fulfil their professional potential. As someone who lives - and works - as a totally blind individual I, like everyone, have a core set of skills and experiences that are unique to me and make me good at my job. Ultimately, an inclusive recruitment process should be able to assess candidates based solely on their ability to do the role they are applying for. We must bust the myths that surround disabled workers to ensure that everyone has a chance to shine.